I knew S R Nathan as one of the few genuine men. I have seen and experienced such a deep kindness about him. I knew him through my grandfather, as they were the pioneers who were considered the “builders” of this nation.

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Occasionally, when I went to meet my grandparents, I would overhear conversations about him on how street smart and tactful he was in overcoming obstacles. I came up close and personal with S R Nathan in 2006 during my dance graduation, and was overcome with anxiety and heart palpitations when I realized that the country’s president was coming to my dance. I didn’t know whether to feel stressed or grateful at that 11th hour of my dance diploma. But, thankfully, his kind and gentle demeanour soothed all my anxieties. I honestly felt like his daughter, as he was so keen to motivate me and take pictures with each and every musician to honor that moment.

I was very honored by his presence and was even more grateful to my grandfather who really made it happen. Not just his humility but his simple attention to detail captured my heart. Here was a man with so many things in his head, and many nerve-wracking decisions on his mind, so I thought he would just come, smile and go. But he noticed everything; he commented on my choice of dance sarees and he even mentioned a couple of the items by their first name that I just finished dancing. This meant that he had read everything I wrote in his pre-visit report. Let me explain: before any official (especially the president) visits the event, the management team of the president manages all that is going to happen for that evening. But not knowing the seriousness of this report, I just wrote in short sentences the description of my dance items; but he actually read each of them and remembered them, too. I was very impressed with my country’s president – that he was mindfully present, and it motivated me in my performance.

Thank you, dear S R Nathan, for being a great president and an even greater man who led by example. You will be missed.

_{Edited by Nedda Chaplin
Image credit: Gayathri Subash}

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